iPhone X Now Available in Our Real Device Cloud

Today Sauce Labs announced support of the iPhone X for our cloud-based mobile testing platform Real Device Cloud (RDC). This allows our customers to test on the latest and greatest real devices without the long wait.

We previously announced same day support for the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, along with full support for iOS 11 for real devices and simulators. We recommend that organizations test their iOS apps with a healthy mix of simulators and real devices. This ensures that teams can implement continuous test automation strategies without creating bottlenecks for continuous integration and delivery.

Why is the iPhone X release important for mobile app testing?

Your customers and end users need to know that their applications will run smoothly on all supported devices, not just a select few. In the Comscore 2017 Mobile App Report, the average user spends 2.3 hours using mobile apps. This means that users expect their apps to work regardless of the latest updates. It is important that companies test on multiple real devices to ensure quality and prevent one or two star ratings on the app store.

The Bigger the Better

End users love large screens. In the 2017 DeviceAtlas Mobile Web Intelligence Report, the most popular screen sizes were the 5-inch and 4.7-inch displays. The iPhone X has a huge 5.8 inch super retina display. Whether your app is responsive design, native or hybrid, you’ll need to ensure that the mobile app displays and works correctly for all screen resolutions.

Automate, Automate, Automate

Functional test automation is just as important as having the latest devices. Your organization may have existing Appium test scripts executing on older iPhone models. You’ll need to ensure that continuous test automation is part of your strategy when you add a new device such as the iPhone X. The latest release of Appium (v1.7.1) now supports iOS 11. This is great for any team using the Appium framework for continuous testing and automation. It also gives teams a single framework for testing both iOS and Android apps.

At Sauce Labs, our goal is to ensure that you can test the newest devices as soon as possible. Testers should never have to wait months for their cloud vendor to catch up and support the latest mobile devices and operating systems. Users need to know that your apps will work regardless of the device.